Data General Eclipse: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|16 bit minicomputer line (1974–1988)}}

{{Refimprove|date=January 2017}}

[[Image:Dg-eclipse.jpg|thumb|288px|right|Data General Eclipse S/130 front panel]]

[[Image:Eclipse microprocessor.png|thumb|288px|right|Data General microEclipse microprocessor]]

The '''Data General Eclipse''' line of [[computer]]s by [[Data General]] were [[16-bit]] [[minicomputer]]s released in early 1974 and sold until 1988. The Eclipse was based on many of the same concepts as the [[Data General Nova]], but included support for [[virtual memory]] and [[Computer multitasking|multitasking]] more suitable to the small office than the lab. It was also packaged differently for this reason, in a floor-standing case the size of a small [[refrigerator]].

{{Infobox computing device

If the Nova was an improved [[PDP-8]], the Eclipse was meant to compete against larger

| name = Eclipse

[[PDP-11]] computers. However, it kept the simple register architecture, and the stack

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was kept in a special memory address ___location, as it was on the later 32 bit [[Data General Eclipse MV/8000]].

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The [[Data General AOS|AOS]] [[operating system]] was quite sophisticated, and far advanced compared to the PDP-11 offerings, with [[access control list]]s (ACLs) for file protection. One of the key goals for the 32-bit MV was to be able to run 16-bit applications without modification, and the AOS/VS 32-bit operating system would indeed run 16-bit AOS binaries. (By contrast, although the [[VAX-11]] could run [[PDP-11]] code in a compatibility mode, the MV/8000 did not require a "mode bit.")

| logo = Data General logo.svg

| image = Dg-eclipse.jpg

| caption = Data General Eclipse S/130 front panel

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| manufacturer = Data General

| family = Nova

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| os = [[Data General AOS|AOS]]

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[[Image:Dg-eclipseEclipse microprocessor.jpgpng|thumb|288px|right|Data General Eclipse S/130 frontmicroEclipse panelmicroprocessor]]

Production problems with the Eclipse led to a rash of lawsuits in the late 1970s, after new versions of the machine were pre-ordered by many DG customers and then never arrived.<ref name="kidder-2000">{{cite book|title=[[The Soul of a New Machine]]|last=Kidder|first=Tracy|author-link=Tracy Kidder|year=2000|origyear=1981|chapter=1|page=26|publisher=[[Back Bay Books]]|isbn=0-316-49197-7}}</ref> After over a year of waiting, many decided to sue the company, while others simply cancelled their orders and went elsewhere.<ref name="kidder-2000"/> It appeared that the Eclipse was originally intended to replace the Nova outright, also evidenced by the fact that the Nova 3 series released at the same time was phased out the next year. However, strong continuing demand resulted in the Nova 4, perhaps as a result of the continuing problems with the Eclipse.

The '''Data General Eclipse''' line of [[computer]]s by [[Data General]] were [[16-bit]] [[minicomputer]]s released in early 1974 and sold until 1988. The Eclipse was based on many of the same concepts as the [[Data General Nova]], but included support for [[virtual memory]] and [[Computer multitasking|multitasking]] more suitable to the small office than the lab. It was also packaged differently for this reason, in a floor-standing case the size of a small [[refrigerator]]. The Eclipse series was supplanted by the 32-bit [[Data General Eclipse MV/8000]] in 1980.

==Description==

The 16-bit Eclipse series was replaced by the 32-bit [[Data General Eclipse MV/8000]] in 1980. The development of this machine was described by [[Tracy Kidder]] in his book ''[[The Soul of a New Machine]]''. <!-- same comment - this second sentence belongs in the MV/8000 article, no? -->

The [[Data General Nova]] was intended to outperform the [[PDP-8]] while being less expensive, and in a similar fashion, the Eclipse was meant to compete against the larger [[PDP-11]] computers. It kept the simple register architecture of the Nova but added a [[stack pointer]] which the Nova lacked. The stack pointer was added back to the later Nova 3 machines in 1975 and also used on the later 32-bit [[Data General Eclipse MV/8000]]. The [[Data General AOS|AOS]] [[operating system]] was quite sophisticated, advanced compared to the PDP-11 offerings, with [[access control list]]s (ACLs) for file protection.

Production problems with the Eclipse led to a rash of lawsuits in the late 1970s, after new versions of the machine were pre-ordered by many DG customers and then never arrived.<ref name="kidder-2000">{{cite book |title=[[The Soul of a New Machine]] |last=Kidder |first=Tracy |author-link=Tracy Kidder |year=2000 |origyearorig-year=1981 |chapter=1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/soulofnewmachin000kidd/page/26 26] |publisher=[[Back Bay Books]] |isbn=0-316-49197-7 |title-link=The Soul of a New Machine}}</ref> After over a year of waiting, manysome decided to sue the company, while others simply cancelled their orders and went elsewhere.<ref name="kidder-2000"/> It appeared that the Eclipse was originally intended to replace the Nova outright, also evidenced by the fact that the Nova 3 series released at the same time was phased out the next year. However, strong continuing demand resulted in the Nova 4, perhaps as a result of the continuing problems with the Eclipse.

The Eclipse may have been named by James Gossel, a high school student at the time, whose father worked at DG and asked him for the name suggestion. {{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}

== Facts ==

The original [[Cray-1]] system used an Eclipse to act as a Maintenance and Control Unit (MCU). It was configured with two [[Ampex]] CRTs, an 80 MB Ampex disk drive, a thermal printer, and a 9-track tape drive. Its primary purpose was to download an image of either the [[Cray Operating System]] or customer engineering diagnostics at boot time. Once booted, it would actacted as a status and control console via RDOS ''station software''.

The original [[Cray-1]] system used an Eclipse to act as a Maintenance and Control Unit (MCU). It was configured with two [[Ampex]] CRTs, an 80 MB Ampex disk drive, a thermal printer, and a 9-track tape drive. Its primary purpose was to download an image of either the [[Cray Operating System]] or customer engineering diagnostics at boot time. Once booted, it would act as a status and control console via RDOS ''station software''.

== References ==

{{reflist}}

{{Data General}}

[[Category:Minicomputers]]

[[Category:Data General computers|Eclipse]]

[[Category:16-bit computers]]